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Whidbey Island Aquarium
The''' Whidbey Island University Marine Research Center and Public Aquarium''' (more commonly referred to as the Whidbey Island Aquarium '''by the public and '''Marine Research Center or '''MRC '''by students) is a nonprofit public aquarium located in Randall City, Washington. Owned and operated by Whidbey Island University, the aquarium is also a center for marine research, conservation and marine animal rehabilitation. The aquarium was a joint venture between the city and the university, both wanting access to waterfront development. It was first proposed by the city in 1989 amid their desire to finally develop the waterfront with the construction of Waterfront Parkway. Residents voted down the for-profit aquarium largely due to the fact the non-profit Ducken Road Park Zoo had just opened four years early, satisfying citizen's desire to learn about new animals. In 2010 the Whidbey Island University announced they were looking to expand their campus to reach the waterfront with the hopes of building a football stadium overlooking the water. The city, still desiring to build an aquarium on the waterfront, proposed a land swap with the university that would open up prime waterfront real estate to the institution while the city would gain the land necessary to construct a long proposed rail trail. The city imposed the condition that an aquarium be built on the land given to the university which school leaders initially balked at. By 2011 the city entered an agreement to pay for the construction and oversight of the aquarium for the first two years before transferring ownership to Whidbey Island University for a modest fee of $12,500 which was paid for using student fees. The aquarium opened on August 27, 2013 as the Whidbey Island Aquarium and became an educational research center under its current official name on September 5, 2015 when Whidbey Island University assumed ownership. The aquarium remains open to the public seven days a week while also offering a number of Bachlor's and Master's degrees through the university's College of Earth,Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences. MRC Extension The Whidbey Island University revealed plans in 2019 to expand the aquarium's capacity by moving some of the classrooms to a new standalone academic building. The proposed Marine Research Center Extension will be a 5-story academic building housing the Alexandra Morton Library on the basement and ground floors, classrooms on the 1-3rd floors and faculty offices on the 4th floor as well as the main office for the Dean of the College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences. It would free up approxiamtely 14,000 sq feet of space in the aquarium that would become home to the new Salish Sea-Experience exhibit featuring a 100,000 gallon tank featuring varioous speices of native marine life found in the coastal waters surrounding the city. Also mentioned as a possible new exhibit would be an open ocean enclosure for studying marine mammals such as dolphins and potenially whales. The facilty would be a co-operation between the Whidbey Island University, Ducken Road Park Zoo and Center for Whale Research.